MARIO PILOTS MICHELIN

In fact, it was on the very Kyalami Track during the launch of the new Pilot Sport Cup2 R and Pilot Sport4 SUV tyres I recently attended that brought back memories of the Michelin X tyres I raced on in 1965.

With innovation always central for top driving and mobility the X series was the tyre of the day for Group 2 production-car racing. To that end, the new Pilot Sport tyre range is now introduced for Africa and Middle East. From SUV’s to high performance sedans the Pilot Sport tyres are used by some of the best competitive sports car makers globally on over 200 performance vehicles.

The two latest additions to the range are the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 R for drivers desiring to exploit the full potential of their cars by exploiting technologies developed in motorsport and top performance parameters.

As Marc Pasquet, President, Africa, India and Middle East region for Michelin says of the Pilot Sport tyre family: “This new range of tyres is meant for the auto enthusiast, who wants optimum driving pleasure, without compromising on performance, safety and longevity”.

The other newly launched Michelin tyre is the Pilot Sport 4 SUV that replaces the Latitude Sport 3 and can be used on the full range of SUVs – 4x4, compact, medium, premium and sports. This new tyre benefits control and stability at high speed while guaranteeing safety, extended tyre life, exceptional comfort and the pleasure of driving sporty SUVs in safe conditions on dry and wet roads. In fact, it makes use motorsport tyre technologies and innovations stemming from the latest Formula E tyres.

The Pilot Sport Cup2 R is a bespoke high performance tyre developed in conjunction with the prestigious car manufacturers such as Porsche and Ferrari meeting the needs of experienced drivers in ultra-high performance cars for ultimate performance on track days. Designed for track use, the Pilot Sport Cup2 R tyre maximises grip on dry circuits for optimum and secure handling levels. Tests carried out on a circuit by Michelin highlighted an average increase of 0.5 sec/km.

The new Michelin Pilot Sport range tyres will be available from April 2019 at Michelin authorised dealerships, including the Tyreplus network in the region. To tell the truth, a few laps around Kylami in a Nissan GTR on Pilot Range Sport tyres with an expert at the wheel - was both stupefying and exciting!